Problem with Stovepipe Elbow

[seedpress]

Folks,

I need to install two 45° elbows in my stove-pipe system. I bought two of the adjustable ones, which are nominally set at 90°, but are claimed to be adjustable anywhere from 0°to 90°. I've tried to set them to 45°, but they always end up with a twist in another plane, which won't work for my setup. If adjusted to 90°, 60°, or 0° the elbow has no twist, but all other adjustments do result in a twist.

Am I doing something wrong, or is the 45° twist unavoidable? I know fixed 45° elbows are made, but no one locally has them, and I'm in a hurry to get the stove set up!

Thanks,
seedpress

 

[realstihl]

All joints should move. There will be no "twist" if done right. You can put a little lubricant on the joint to make it easier to adjust.

 

[ROVERT]

I think you'll always have a little "twist" in the elbow when making a 45. The twist should be minimal if done correctly and the ends should remain in (very nearly) the same plane. You can try this. Reset the elbow to 90 degrees. Rotate one of the ends 180 degrees. Now rotate the center joint 90 degrees. You should get a functional 45, if not an aesthetically pleasing one.

FWIW, you should also be able to make a 30 degree elbow (in addition to the 90, 60, and 0) with no twist. Is is possible to use a 60 and a 30 instead of two 45s?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Get it together and make sure you screw it 3 times so it doesn't fall apart. Order the parts you want and redo it when they come in.

Matt

 

[begreen]

If you rotate the two ends of the elbow 180 deg and leave the middle sections unturned you will get a 45.To do this, tape the midsection together temporarily with a piece of duct tape. Then, wearing gloves, grip the elbow between your knees and rotate the outer section. Repeat on the opposite end. Remove the tape.

I would go ahead and order good quality fixed 45s and replace when they show up. The adjustable variety are usually lighter gauge.

Edit: looks like Matt and I had the same thought and posted at the same time.

 

[ROVERT]

If you rotate the two ends of the elbow 180 deg and leave the middle sections unturned you will get a 45.To do this, tape the midsection together temporarily with a piece of duct tape. Then, wearing gloves, grip the elbow between your knees and rotate the outer section. Repeat on the opposite end. Remove the tape.
.

I'm pretty sure he'll end up with a 30 if he follows your directions.

 

[begreen]

Are you sure? I thought each segment is 27.5 degrees. I don't have one handy or I would measure. This photo is not quite square on, but seems to confirm that.

 

[ROVERT]

Ok, then the resulting elbow would be 27 1/2 degrees and the "90" would actually be 82 1/2 degrees. When you rotate the two ends 180 degrees you make those two joints straight, leaving only the center joint to give you your angle, which is 27 1/2 or 30 degrees or something in that ball park.

 

[begreen]

No, the two center sections each have 27.5 deg angles which combine to make a 45.

Whoops, you are correct, only one end gets rotated 180. I just found an elbow and tried it. My error Thanks for being persistent.

 

[ROVERT]

No problem. I will point out that I believe you now have a 60 rather than a 45. To test it, grab another elbow, make the same adjustment and put them together to see if they form a 90.

My experience is with galvanized stove pipe, but I think the only difference is the metal. I'm pretty sure all the angles are the same as black stove pipe. I don't think there is a way to make a clean 45 degree elbow with an adjustable elbow.

 

[seedpress]

This is an amazing forum; so much activity, and so many replies. After some consideration, I think I am going to go with a 30 degree angle; the twist at 45 is causing some problems for me. Thanks anyway though. Thanks again everybody; I read through all the replies carefully, and enjoyed the lively discussion.

 

[begreen]

No problem. I will point out that I believe you now have a 60 rather than a 45. To test it, grab another elbow, make the same adjustment and put them together to see if they form a 90.

Looks like a 30 is correct. Flip it for the 60.